In My Kitchen May 2016

April has been a month of renovation action in my kitchen, out with the old and in with the new.

In just 8 working days the old kitchen was dismantled and removed, the electricity and plumbing roughed in, a raised platform floor built and tiled and the installation of the new cabinetry 90% completed.

The kitchen that was

Looking at my photos you may be wondering what’s wrong with the old kitchen, why build a platform? The kitchen we removed was developers cookie cutter style flat-pack kitchen that had simply got to the end of it’s life. It was difficult to open one drawer without three opening, the shelves were sagging and the appliances were on there last legs.

Our building is a Heritage Listed Woolstore that was built in 1924. Our apartment was home was admin offices and still has the original hardwood floors. While it’s permitted to sand and re-polish the boards, we are not allowed to remove them or make holes in them. The “old” kitchen stood on the floorboards in a corner where there are quite large gaps between the boards which are considered impossible to fill. It is neither hygienic or practical in a messy space.

Creating a raised area also enabled us to move the gas, electricity and plumbing away from the back wall. Believe me when I say it’s no fun cooking with your back to the room, your family and the natural light. The back wall of the new kitchens is dedicated to fridge/freezer, wine cabinet and floor to ceiling cabinets, the sink has been moved to the L shaped island bench and the cooker will be on the previously unused wall, opposite the sink.

kitchen reno

We are now waiting for the engineered stone bench to be templated, cut and installed. Another flurry of activity will follow when that’s done, tiling the splash back, installing the cooker and range hood, then the plumbing and electrical fit off.

Hopefully next month, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be able to show off my completed new kitchen.

Meanwhile, this is my current kitchen.

temporary kitchen

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About ladyredspecs

I live in sunny Brisbane, Australia. My love of good food drives me as a cook, a reader, a traveller, an artist and but mostly as an eater.
I cooked professionally for many years but have no formal training. Simply guided by a love of eating good food, respect for ingredients and an abhorrence of artificial additives, I cook instinctively applying the technical know how acquired by experience.
I hope you enjoy what I share
Sandra AKA ladyredspecs

Hi, Sandra! I’m joining you much later than your post so I’m hoping your new kitchen is almost done by now. What a wonder it’ll be! Spending so much time in that space, it’ll be nice to have it function the way you need & want it to be. Best wishes!

I hear you on not facing everyone while cooking Sandra! I love socialising with people while I cook and having my back to them is disturbing to me – when we build our house one day, I want the stovetop in the middle island. What sort of range hood are you having? Looking forward to seeing all your new appliances too. So excited for you, hopefully not long to go now 🙂 See you at Miss Food Fairy soon xx

I had limitations re choice of rangehood, can’t have an external motor nor can it be vented to the outside. Whispair with an inline motor was the only brand that ticked all the boxes. I’m feeling quite excited, the end is in view

how marvellous to have a new kitchen sandra. our “renovated” kitchen is now 18 years old so needs a new face for sure. how i would love an oven that can fit more than one small tray at a time. good luck with it all! tho it sounds like everything is going really well.

It looks like you’re well on the way to having a magnificent new kitchen space. Glad to read you have a dedicated wine fridge – but maybe you need that with the heat and humidity? It’s all about priorities!

Definitely need to protect the red wine collection from the heat and humidity. We’ve placed an embargo on buying wine, this is a beer drinking climate, but the champagne will flow when the kitchen is complete

I’m sure the kitchen is going to look AMAZING!
Would love to see you on my blog as well since I just reactivated it after travelling for seven months and there is loads of new content going to come up soon!
xx

Induction cooking still sounds like magic – tricky to get the hang of it without a proper wand. You sound remarkably calm and organized in the midst of renovation chaos – thanks for sharing the photo update. It’s going to be splendid.

Here’s hoping Dee. Cooking with induction definitely is a challenge, I briefly considered it for the new kitchen but in the end decided to stick with gas. A good decision based on my current cooking challenges

It was fun deciding how to lay the kitchen out, which surfaces and appliances to choose, which builder to use? Stocking up and working out the best places to store things is a few weeks away yet, but something to look forward to.

Looking great so far Sandra… can’t wait to see the finished kitchen in a few weeks time. All will be well worth it in the end! By the way, very clever idea to install the raised platform over the boards… I imagine most people in the neighbouring apartments just continue to get frustrated by having to dig crumbs out of the cracks? Hope you’re well. M.xx

Sandra – you seem to have this remarkably under control! I cannot wait to see the end result in which you will glory!! We all know the ‘speed’ at which matters s’times happen in darling Oz!! Actually you seem very much on top and am looking forwards to June 2016 – my birth month!!!

Your current set up is so tidy and cute! But I can relate to how frustrating it might be. Our old kitchen was a stock standard flat pack, too and was never meant for the space so it was highly inefficient, not to mention abused and worn. I can’t wait to see your new one in its entirety. The sneak preview looks lovely. (Second sourdough spelt loaf is in the oven as I write 🙂

I can now understand why you need to do this. Great explanation of the process and the issues of updating a kitchen in a heritage listed building. That temporary kitchen looks ridiculous- now just go out for a month or two or eat with Leah.

Oh, it’s going to look amazing. What tile is that on the floor? Love the colour, I am looking forward to the final photos. In the meantime, your current workspace is small but neatly organised and I am sure that all that is produced, still tastes bloody delicious.

I found it tricky as well, but it gets easier. (After a few stuff ups…) The most annoying is not being able to put metal down on the cooktop when you cooking or it all goes haywire. I was just wondering if they were stone or ceramic? They have a lovely soft look.